Jay Cutler confident he’ll stay with the Chicago Bears next year

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is confident that he will be able to agree on a new deal with the franchise ahead of the 2014 NFL season.

The 30-year-old is expecting to agree terms on a multi-year contract rather than test free agency, despite seeing the Bears lose to the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on Sunday night which ended their season.

“I’m confident in our ability [to get a deal done], and in [Bears general manager] Phil [Emery] and [team Chairman] George [McCaskey] and everyone over there that we’ll find equal ground and get it worked out,” Cutler said, as reported by ESPN.

“I don’t know when it’s going to happen, and eventually, it might not happen. But we’re going to take a crack at it for sure.

Cutler refused to divulge into the financial details on any possible deal, but initial speculation suggests that he will likely gain a substantial raise from the $8.97m he earned in 2013.

The Bears have already signed both kicker Robbie Gould and fullback Tony Fiammetta last week, but have yet to enter into negotiations with their starting quarterback.

Both Emery and coach Marc Trestman are set to hold their end of the year press conference on Thursday and will undoubtedly provide further answers to the situation then, but there is slight concern over Cutler’s future in the Windy City.

During an injury lay-off, back-up quarterback Josh McCown came in and impressed with a league-best quarterback rating as the Bears moved closer to a playoff berth.

However, on Cutler’s return, the Bears lost their last two games, including a ninth defeat in 10 games against the Packers and Aaron Rodgers, which could point toward a change in the position moving forward.